Costchondritis

[pateandcheese]

I was diagnosed with this a couple of years ago.
Dr's thought it might be gall bladder to begin with, but after blood tests and scans they couldn't find anything at all.
Last time was a dull ache that lasted about 6 months right under my right boob.
This time is really painful. I've had it for a week. What do other people use to help the pain, and is it likely to last 6 months again. It's really starting to annoy me now, surely I can't keep taking painkillers ever 4 hours?
In hindsight I've always had sore ribs on and off for the past 20 years but this is the worst yet.

Gosh that sounds awful OP. I get it occasionally but it seems to only last weeks at a time. I've no great advice other than last time I got it I found some yoga on YouTube specifically for costocondritis and this really helped my symptoms - maybe worth a shot?

Thank you.
I found some stretches on YouTube but they are absolute agony so I can't even do them properly.
They were advising lying flat on your back with your arms out to the side but I'm almost screaming in pain when I do that!

Oh OP I know exactly how you feel.

I had it in my 20's, at its worst I was taken into hospital and they injected painkillers all the way down my rib cage. At home I was prescribed Codeine (I'm allergic to ibuprofen). But obv Codeine can't be a long term solution so I tried osteopathy.

I cried when my osteopath told me he understood how it felt (like knitting needles being pushed between my sternum and ribs). Until then it felt like I was in this awful but invisible pain.

I had four sessions over four weeks and felt immeasurably better.

If you're in London, I went to the British School of Osteopathy, it was super cheap if I allowed a student to attend and perform some of be manipulations. Not sure if BSO exists any more, or if osteopaths are open with COVID. But it's definitely worth a look.

Nowhere near London unfortunately. But I'll try to find an osteopath next week.
It's awful awful pain isn't it.
I swear mine is triggered by anxiety.

It could well be triggered by anxiety, certainly worsened by it (as it can cause your body to tense around the 'injury').

If it's any reassurance, I've had it a few times since that first bout in the early 2000's, but it's never been as bad as it was the first time.

In later bouts it's been uncomfortable, and extremely painful with certain movements, but the first time! I genuinely thought I was dying (my left side was most affected, so I couldn't believe something that wasn't a heart attack could hurt that much), I couldn't even stand straight, much less do any exercises to help it.